Finishing tie plates



May i8 E926.

.1. v. sYMoNs ET AL FINISHING TIE PLATES original Filed April'e, 1922 ww. ww h n, @wm l www Patented May l, 1926,

ltd Sl JOHNSON V. SYIVIONS AND THOMAS H. JOSE, F WES'MONT BOROUGH, AND GEORGE E. THAGKRAY, OF BETHLEE'EM, PENNSYLVANIA.

FNISHNG TIE PLATES.

Application nled April 6, 1922, Serial Nc.`550,127. Renewed February 27, 1926.`

Uur invention relates lto iinishing tie plates or similar articles after the long bars from which they are to be cut are delivered trom a rolling mill or other apparatus, and our invention comprises various Steps and apparatus toi' punching spilre or fastening holes therein, shearing lplates into short and predeterii'iined lengths and for eainbering them as required.

Tieplates ot certain forms are provided with ribs against which one edge ot the rail flange abuts in order to maintain the track gauge, and these plates are laidon wooden ties and provided with holes through which driven or sci-env spikes are inserted to hold the rails thereon and to the ties by means ont their `flanges. ln certain cases these tie plates are required to be cambered; that is, made slightly convex on their upper surfaces, the curvature being in the general direction ot the alignment oit the rail, whereby the rail bears principally on the central portion et the tie plate in order to prevent the rocking action oit the tie plate on the tie and the consequent cutting and destruction ot the ties which would otherwise be occasioned thereby. Such an arrangement of theA rail on cambered tie plates provides a good support iter the rail while allowing it to deflect slightly due to the passage of the trains without disturbing the tie plates cutting the ties, or causing undue stresses between the tie plate and the tie. Y

means ot our invention we supply tie plates or similar articles in the torni of long aars to our.l apparatus, and which then, by its substantially automatic operation, punches holes in the plates, shears individual plates `to predetermined lengths, carries the sheared plates :forward from the punching and shearing apparatus on a set ot carrying rollers or otherwise and advances the indi vidual plates by a step-by-step movement tov malte the matter more clear, reiter to the annexed sheet of drawings, which forms part ot this specification, and `lin which like `characters refer to like parts:

Figure l isa diagrammatic view in front elevation of our improved apparatus for cutting, punching and cambering and conveying tie plates, illustrating the applica-tion of our invention; Figure 2 is an end elevation of Vthe cutting and punching machine; Figure 3 is a perspective view of one form of cambered tie plate; Figure t is an end elevation of thecambering machine; Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section en a larger scale through the cambering machine, the section being taken on the line V-V of Figure l; Figure 6 is a. vertical secticn'through a portion of the mechanism for conveying the tie plates taken on the line Vl--VI of Figure l, and Figure 7 is a detail view of the end portions of the conveyor bars.

Referring now to the characters of reference on the drawings 1 yindicates the punching and shearing machineas a whole, 2 are the rolls 'for supporting a long tie plate vbar 3 as itis fed into the machine, 4 are the Vspike hole punches, 5 are the dies there'lor,

blades so that the extreme end ot the long bar 3 abuts against the stop 9 prior to the downward movement of the upper shear blade 7. A rolle-r conveyor'l() is provided,

which has a plurality of rollers closely set together and driven by a suitable gearing,

which is actuated by the pulley 38 and the belt 39, which belt may be driven by any suitable sourcev of power at a desired speed, but preferably in harmony with the speed ol the other apparatus. As the bar 3 isv fed into the punching and shearing machine 1, its end'contacts with the gauge or stop 9, the punches descend and punch spike holes; about the same time the previously punched portion lat the right hand end of the bar is sheared olf by the movement of the shear blade 7, the distance between the punches and the shear blade being so arraned that the spike holes are in the right locations and the yshe'are-d cuiU is made at predetermined distance from the spilre holes and the tie plate is cut to the desired Width.

As illustrated, a pr ched portion of a bar is bet-Wecn'the shear `alude 7 andthe punches d so that directly under the punches, as illustrated in Figure 1, and to the right thereof, there are three tie plates under process oiE finishing. litter-fthe tie plate is sheared oil by the shear blad/eri' it drops on theroller conveyor and the sheared tie platek 11 transported to the right on a further conveying` apparatus. Vlhis conveyii apparatus comprises the conveying dogs or parvis 12 n'iounted onvpivot" ins 1S and provided with stop pins 'to limit their movement by contact ot the lower eues or tails 15 ot the conveyor paivls lf2, all oi th beh mounted in the conveyor bars 1Q, as illus rated. rEhe cambering machine is generally indicated as 28, provided with a top cumbering punch 16, which is curved slightly in a convex manner as shown to the approximate curvature ot the tie plate, while 1'? is the bottom camberingdie, which is eoncavely curved to substantially correspond with the curvature ot the other side ot the tie plate. As the tie plates are traversed to the Cambering mechanism step by step, as Will hereinafter be described, and are placed directly betiveen the bottom can'iberingdie 17, the head ot the ram 21 descends and the tie plates are cambered and assume a slightly curved form as illustrated by tie plates 18 shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The conveyor bars 19 and attachments are supported on the structural member 2O and a link 22 is pivotally connected to said conveying bars, and journaled thereto is the roller 23 mounted thereon. Pivoted to the other end ot the link 22 is the cranlc arm i4, which is mounted on a shaft 2G, on the end oit which is mounted another cranl; arm' 27, and pivoted to the end ot this crank arm is the pitman which pitman is provided Withia sleeve nut with right and lett hand threads as illustrated so the length may be adjusted. rlhis pitman is also pivoted, as illustrated, to the rain 21 ot the cambering iiacl'line and consequently moves up and down with it. As the head 21 moves up and donn the pitman also moves up and down and jiartially rotates the various cranks With which it is connected, and thereby causes the conveying;- bars 19 and their attachments to reciprocateforward and backward in a step# `lay-step inoven'ient, and the length of this movement may be so adjusted as to move the slie'ared tie plates to the cambering apparatus and deliver them one by one thereto' in harmony with the up and down movement et the ram 21, so thatwhen the ram Q1 is up a 'd at tie plate is delivered tothe camberingdie, 'whereupon the canibering head ,Q1 moves downwardly and cambers the plate, and the step-by-step conveyor then removes the cam- .ercd plate and delivers another plate to the cumbering` apparatus, and the operation so continues.

fr further framework is provided for supporting and guiding the conveyor hars, this being composed of the trame 29 mounted on the base plate 30, While` 3l is the spacing bloch between thecouveyor bars in order to hold them apart the proper distance. A top cover plate 82 is provided on the top ot the traine illustrated, which serves to hold und guide the conveyor bars, and this also serves as a support -lor the sheared plates as they are .moved along this stcoby-step conveyor by contact oit the dogs or pawls 12. rldhese paivls or dogs 12 are pivo'ted so that when they move backward; that is, from right to l tt as viewed in Figure 1, they turn and j under the tie plate atter moving them, and after these paivls have passed the edges ot the tie plates they return to th operating position by gravity, ready to move 'the tie plates lett to right on reversal ofi ' the movement ot the conveyor bars. The

spacing` block 31 slides on top ,otthe support 2O and is secured to the conveyor bars 19 by means ot' the bolt 33, and the ends ot the conveyor bars 19 are secured together by means ot the bolt Sil, and to this bolt is attached a Wire rope or cable 35, which passes over the sheave 36 and is provided with a counteriveight 37 to take up the slack or are beginning' the punching as the shear blades are beginningthe cut, so thatthe iressure of the punches vill serve to hold the bar and prevent de'dection thereof While a plate is shearedfromA its end portion, thus facilitating a clean and square shear cut, or the punches and the top shear blade may operate substantially simultaneously, or ne .in the punches may be so adjusted that they Will be punching` the spike holes just betere the shear cut is begun.

The punches may also be ot slightly ditferent lengths, in Which case they would, in a measure, act progressively, and the severe stresses due to entirely simultaneous action oit all the punches and the shear blades or of the punches would be obviated.

life prefer, however, to arrange'as lirst stated, namely, so that the punches or some tif-3 lll) and the cambering,` plunger' provides a correct method of cambering and furnishes a substantially uniform curvature of a predetermined amount, Which is not the case Where the cambering is attempted t be done on atie plate With one end free and the other end forming a part of the long bar, as in such cases one side is free While the other is held as a part of the long bar, causing uneven and sometimes a contrafiexed curva.- ture, all of this being obviated by our iethod of camberingg; the tie plates individually. Our cambering die may be either formed of one curved piece of the approximate width of the tie plate, or it may be hollow in the center or formed of two pieces, which contact with the portions of the t-ie plate near its edges, leaving the central p0rtion free to be bent between the two pieces. To sum up the operation of the apparatus, it is as follows A long tie plate bar of any kind as 3 is fed forward to the machine on the rollers 2, and its front end contacts with the stop or gauge 9; the plunger or ram holding the punches 4i, and the upper' shear' blade 7 then descends by the operation of the punching and shearing machine. The cut and punched tie plate then falls on the roller conveyor 10 and is carried thereby, and the bar 3 is fed forward for a further cutting and punching,` operation. TWhile this is going on the cut tie plates 11 are being transported on the conveyor 10 and thence deposited on the step-by-step conveyor having the conveyor bars 19, and the conveyor dogs or pawls 12 move them lforward step by step and deposit them one at a time on the camhering die 17 underneath the cambering punch 16 While this punch is up, and during;` the return movement of the dogs 12 the cambering punch 16 descends and cambers' the tie plate, which is again moved forvfard by the action of the step-by-step conveyor and is delivered from the end of the conveyor for inspection, bundling and loading.

The cambering die 17 is provided with a slot as illustrated in Figure 5 in which the conveyor bars operate While the dogs 12, when in. operative upright position, proiect upwardly therefrom to Contact with lthe edges of the tie plates and move thenr step by step as described.

Although ive have shown our cambering machine as applied to a special form of tie plate and the cambering punch and die and the shear blades are made to substantially conform thereto, we Wish it understood that any form of tie plate, either Withor without a rib, or plain, or with any form of teeth, indentations or projections can be treated similarly in our manner, and the tools can be made of corresponding-conformations.

Although We have shown and described our invention in `considerable detail, We do not wish to be limited tothe exact and speciiic details thereof as shown and described, but may use such modifications in, substitutions for, .or equivalents thereof as are embraced Within the scope of our invention, or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described our invention, What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a tie plate nishing apparatus, a punching, and shearing machine vprovided With a reciprocable plunger having a convex end and a corresponding fixed concave die adapted to camber the plate, a separate camn shearing and punching,l machine, provided with an adjustable gauge or stop, adapted to punch a tie plate bar and shear individual plates therefrom, a separate cambering machine provided With a cambering plunger and die, and automatic means for delivering and conveying the individual plates thereto and therefrom.

1. In a. tie plate finishing apparatus, a combined punch and shear adapted to punch holes in tie plate bars and shear individual plates therefroni, means for pi'edeterinining,` the Width of said plates, a cambering machine provided with a. plunger and die, andv a conveyor between the two machines adapted to automatically deliver indiifidual plates from the punching and shearingmachine to the cambering machine.

5. In a tie plate finishing apparatus, a punching machine for punching a long bar, a' shear' for cutting` individual plates therefrom after the punching is accomplished, a ca-inbering machine, a roller conveyor adapted to carry the individual sheared plates and deliver them to a step-by-step conveyor having a reciprocating motion adjusted to deliver them to the cambering` tools.

6. In a tie plate finishing,v apparatus, a punching machine for punching a long bar, a shear for cuttitng individual plates therefrom after the punching is accomplished, a cambering` machine, a roller conveyor adapted to carry the individual plates and deliver them to a step-by-step conveyor havlng a reciprocating motion so adjusted as to deliver them to and from the cambering tools.

.7. in a tiev plate finishing apparatus, the combination with a sl'iearing and punching machine of a separate cainbering` machine provided with a cambering` punch and die, a conveyor between said machines adapt-ed to automatically convey individual plates and deliver them separately to and from the cambering' tools,

8. ln` a tie plate finishing apparatus, combination punchingand shearing machine adapted to approximately sinrultaneously punch holes in a lon-g; bar and shear tie plates ot predetermined Widths troni the end thereoi, acambtering` machine provided With a camberingr punch and die, a conveyor between said tools adapted to deliver individn ual plates from the punching and shearing machine to the camberingg"machine, the latter port-ion ot the same coniprisinp; a stepby-step conveyor' provided with a pair ot' re ciprocating bars and paivls pivotally mounted thereon, adapted to deliver the plates one at a time to the can'iberino; machine, and remove the same there'trom.

9. ln a tie plate finishing; apparatus, the combination with a puncliing and shearing; machine and a cambering machine provided with a plunger and die otl an interposed conveyor, that portion ot vwhich, in connection With the canioering machine, is adapted to operate step by step in harmony with the movement oi' the cambering punch and to deliver plates separately thereto and therefrom.

19. In a tie plate inishing apparatus, a punching` and shearing machine, an adjustable stop or gauge theretona roller conveyor operated in harmony With said punching and shearing machine and adapted to deliver plates therefrom, a cambering,v machine provided with a step-by-step conveyor operated by and in harmony with said cambering` machine, and adapted to receive individual plates 'trom said roller conveyor and deliver them to and from the cambering tools.

ll. In an apparatus ot the character described, the combination with a punching and shearing machine and means for delivering punched andsheared plates therefrom, a cambering machine provided With a steppunched plates to a separate cambering' inachine provided with a reoiprocahle plunger havinga convex end and a corresponding fixed die, cambering them thereby, and automatically delivering the same therefrom.

13. The method et' .finishing tie plates from long bars, which consists in punching holes therein, then movingI the bar so that a predetermined length thereof extends beyond a shear-knife, then pui'ichinp; other holes through the bar and substantially at the same time shearii'ipr a predetermined length therefrom, then automatically conveying the punched and sheared plates to a cambering machine and moving` them step by step under a cambering` punch and automatically delivering them therefrom. y'

14. The method ot making tie plates,- Which consists in rollingl long bars oit suitable cross-section, then punching` holes near the end oi said bar, then moving" the bar longitudinally so that a predetermined length extends beyond a. shear imite, then shearing` the end therefrom While at the same time punching other holes in the bar, then advancing the sheared and punched bars automatically trom the punchiitg` and shearing, machine to a separate cainberinp; machine and to the cambering tools thereof, by a step--by-step movement, actuated by the movement of the caml'ierin'g machine, and automatically delivering the cambered plates therefrom.

In Witness whereof We hereunto athx our signatures. l

JOHNSON V. SYMONS. THOMAS H. JOSE. y GEORGE E. THAOKRAY.

lili) 

